Love And Loyalty
by Jocelyn
Summary: Fleeing a Death Eater attack, Harry winds up in the company of an unlikely Weasley. Rescued and returned to Grimmauld Place, Percy must face the truth at last, and find the courage to reconcile with his family--and Harry. No romance or slash. COMPLETE!
1. Fighting Blind

**Disclaimer: The Harry Potter world and all the marvelous characters therein belong to The Great J.K. Rowling, Mistress of 21st Century Fantasy, World-Builder Extraordinaire, Goddess of Magic Lovers Everywhere…you get the idea. Not a darn thing in abovementioned world is a product of my pathetic-by-comparison imagination, this story was merely inspired by Ms. Rowling's brilliant yarns. This fanfic is two parts speculation, one part wishful thinking. Stir well. I am receiving nothing in compensation except the praise and/or criticism of my readers, and both are accepted with glee**.

_**Author's Note:** This is my first Harry Potter fic. It attempts to bring to a resolution one of the more interesting turns of events from Order of the Phoenix. Quite a few other fanwriters have attempted this, and I'm throwing my cap into the ring as well. It's a short story, already completed, (since my LOTR readers will tell you I am badly susceptible to writer's block) and I'll be posting every few days, as soon as they're formatted. Please let me know what you think. _

**Chapter One: Fighting Blind**

_"The problem with political jokes is they get elected." Henry Cate VII_

"Tell me again why I'm doing this," Harry muttered as he, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Luna, and Neville piled into the back of the Ministry car.

"Because the Or—I mean the Aurors are being gits and won't let us get out of it," replied Ron.

"All set back there?" asked the driver cheerfully as Tonks shoved the door closed from the outside and hurried to another car behind theirs. "Right-o, then. Off we go!"

Luna, her eyes fixed upon a small rip in the material of the car's ceiling, said, "It is a very great honor, you know. No underage wizard has received an Order of Merlin in nearly a century."

"Right she is, lad," said the driver. "Then again, everyone rather thought you'd be getting it sooner or later, eh? And when better than after beating back You-Know-Who yet again?"

"Oh, I can think of a better time," Harry said, but got an elbow in the ribs from Hermione. He shot her a quick grimace to let her know he wasn't going to say anything he shouldn't. She smiled and patted his hand. Both his friends and the Order knew how Harry felt about this.

When a great horned owl had swooped majestically through the kitchen window in Privet Drive, sending Aunt Petunia screaming into the living room (bloody bird had almost a five-foot wing span!) Harry had suspected something was up. He had feared since the beginning of the summer that the Ministry would try some silly stunt to put themselves back in Harry's (and the wizarding public's) good graces, and their solution had apparently been to give everyone who was in the Department of Mysteries that night an Order of Merlin.

Everyone, that is, except the person who deserved it most.

Harry had protested, argued, ranted, raved, griped, groused, and finally, to the astonishment of everyone including himself, begged Professor Dumbledore to put a stop to it. "Please, Professor, I'll do anything to get out of this! I can't stand there and let them pin some medal on me, and watch everyone else get medals when they haven't even cleared Sirius of the murder charges!"

Remus Lupin and Mad-Eye Moody had been firmly behind Harry. "Tell Fudge and the rest of his lackeys to stick it, Albus," Moody had said. "Boy has every right to refuse. Give 'em a sugar-coated reason if you must, but you know this whole bloody thing's just a publicity maneuver from Fudge to get the public's approval back!"

But Professor Dumbledore had shaken his head. "I'm sorry, Harry. Truly, I am. And I quite agree, it is yet another terrible injustice to Sirius that his name has not yet been cleared. But surely you can understand that there are greater reasons to accept this gesture, as empty as we all know it to be."

"After what Fudge did?" Mrs. Weasley had said quietly. "They'd best be very good reasons."

Professor Dumbledore had, this time at least, been looking at Harry. "I've explained the situation to Harry."

Harry had sighed heavily and sat down at the kitchen table. He'd been taken back to Grimmauld Place the day before his birthday, only to discover that not only was the Ministry ignoring his attempts to refuse the honor, they were making it a public ceremony. That combined with the intense emotions he had felt at being back here again…it was too much. Still, Professor Dumbledore had told him the reasons. "If Fudge gets to have his picture taken with me a few times, he'll give Professor Dumbledore and the Order a free hand against Voldemort," he told Mrs. Weasley and the others. "And he'll be more willing to listen to your suggestions about how to build up a defense."

"_Concessions?_" Professor Lupin had exclaimed. "Harry has to prostitute himself to Fudge for concessions?"

"Remus!" Mrs. Weasley had snapped, smacking him.

Harry had just rubbed his eyes, trying not to notice the crack in the tabletop where a knife had embedded itself a year before. "No, he's right. If it'll give the Order a chance of getting things done…I'll do it."

Professor Dumbledore had smiled. "I do know how unpleasant this will be for you, Harry. But I'm afraid Minister Fudge will not allow us any legitimacy unless we first give him this gesture."

This time it had been Harry who had refused to look at him. "I'll survive, I guess."

* * *

And now here they were, driving in shiny black Ministry cars to a huge public ceremony, wearing their Hogwarts robes (Fudge had suggested dress robes, but that at least Harry and the others had managed to get out of, by arguing that they were still students and wanted to represent Hogwarts.) What made it even worse was that the presence of their Ministry driver prevented them from describing all the ways they hated Fudge. So they endured the trip in silence, broken by idle remarks (usually from Ron) about how many reporters were likely to be there, and saying as much as they could with the occasional roll of the eyes or muffled groan. 

The car trip alone seemed to take forever, as long, tense rides are wont to do.

At last, they rounded the last corner toward the Ministry building. This time they were headed toward the Ministry's "public entrance," an impressive, marble façade with shining steps and large glass doors—which appeared as a run-down, abandoned apartment building to Muggles. And it was charmed with a ward that made prospective buyers decide the whole neighborhood didn't look promising. As usual, Ron spoke first. "Oh…bloody…hell."

The bright flashes of cameras were already going off as the car rolled up to the building's entrance. Harry shrank down in his seat. "Donwannadothisdonwannadothisdonwannadothis…"

Ginny reached past Ron to ruffle his hair. "Courage."

As the girls and Neville climbed out to face the swarm of journalists, Ron leaned very close to Harry, and whispered so the driver wouldn't hear. "Just try your best to embarrass Fudge as much as possible."

That cheered Harry up, and he gritted his teeth and stepped out into a wildly flashing glare of camera bulbs, and a thunderous roar of applause. Moody and Tonks pushed through the crowd to flank him, and marched him through the throng. "Make way, there, make way!" Moody was snapping, waving his wand menacingly at the reporters, who hastily stepped aside. Harry kept his head down and tried to concentrate on not tripping over his feet.

They got through the doors and left the mob outside. Harry sighed in relief, but Tonks warned, "Don't relax too soon, there's another swarm waiting in the atrium to get the actual ceremony."

"Oh, damn," Harry muttered, and she snickered.

"Buck up, mate. We'll make it."

They reached the security desk, and Harry started to hand over his wand, but heard someone shout, "No, no, no, I told you, Mr. Potter doesn't need the usual protocols! For goodness sake!"

It was the voice Harry had been bracing himself against hearing. Minister Fudge fairly bounced up to them. The frazzled guard muttered, "Sorry 'bout that, sir," and waved Harry and his escorts in.

"Afternoon, Minister," said Moody gruffly.

"Ah, Mr. Moody, always a pleasure," bubbled Fudge, then thrust out a hand at Tonks. Harry thought furiously, _For the Order, for the Order, for the Order_, waiting for the inevitable moment when Fudge seized Harry's hand in both of his and pumped it vigorously. "And Mr. Potter. I say, my boy, you've put on an inch since the last time I saw you! Growing into quite the capable young man, aren't you? Well, yes, yes, we certainly expect nothing less, given your talents. Been looking forward to this all summer? Of course you have."

_Sirius, if you were here, I'd have the courage to hex him._ Harry could almost imagine the scowl Sirius would have given the man, and the low growl in the back of his throat normally reserved for Snape. It might have been enough to ward the Minister off, if Sirius had been here. If only…_Sirius, I miss you!_

"Shouldn't we be running along then?" Tonks asked. She looked downright respectable today, taller than usual, with dark brown hair pulled into a neat bun, wearing a pressed navy blue suit. Did she ever wear robes? "I'm sure you understand, Minister, with things the way they are, we really shouldn't risk keeping young Mr. Potter in too public a location for any length of time. Even one as…secure as the Ministry of magic."

"Oh, nonsense, Miss Tonks, we're perfectly safe--"

"_Do_ pardon me, sir, but I'm sure you'll agree that underestimating He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is a mistake we do not need to be making where Harry Potter's safety is concerned." Harry bit the inside of his mouth hard. She sounded like Professor McGonagall!

At least it had the desired effect on Fudge. "Ahem. No indeed. You're quite right. This way, Harry, let's get this show on the road."

_Git__ git git git git!_ Harry thought, but followed silently down the Atrium to the place where the Fountain of Magical Brethren had once stood. Now there was an elevated platform surrounded by witches and wizards eagerly awaiting Harry's arrival, and another swarm of reporters—at least these were held safely at bay behind a red velvet rope. The cameras popped wildly as Harry followed Fudge into the frenzy of shouts and cheers.

His friends were waiting for him just in front of the platform, and Harry spied the rest of the Weasleys (minus one), several Hogwarts professors, and other members of the Order scattered among the nearest members of the crowd. Professor Dumbledore, however, was absent. Fudge had not wanted anyone drawing the attention away from himself, it seemed. The Order at least, looked solemn, aware of how much Harry despised this, and Mrs. Weasley gave Harry the barest little smile as he passed her, and raised a finger to lightly nudge her chin up, clearly advising him to do the same. He gave her a little smile back, then went to stand next to Ron. Mr. Weasley, standing tall and dignified beside his wife, winked at them.

"How long've we been here?" he muttered to Ron out of the corner of his mouth.

"Five and a half minutes," Ron mumbled back. On the other side of him, Ginny moaned softly, and it made Harry feel a little better.

Fudge was stepping up onto the platform to "say a few words commending these fine young witches and wizards for their outstanding bravery and service to the magical community," and Harry and the others were at least granted the respite from facing the crowd. On the other hand, they now had to face Fudge. "Ahem. _Sonorus_ Yes, now. First of all, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us here to commemorate this momentous occasion in these troubled times. I consider honoring these heroic young people to be one of the many duties vested in me by the wizarding community as your Minister of Magic!"

He paused, apparently expecting applause, but before the Ministry workers he'd brought with him could do so, they were brought up sharp by a very loud and very…personal…noise, that seemed to come from the platform. Fudge turned an odd shade of purple as a low ripple of muffled laughter went through the crowd. Harry bit the inside of his cheek again, so hard that it bled. Hermione had quietly brought a handkerchief to her mouth, but couldn't hide the way her shoulders shook, and Ron was making odd squeaking noises. On the edge of the platform, Harry spied a small piece of flesh-like substance disappearing from view, and dared a look behind him at the Weasleys. Fred and George were the pictures of innocent dignity at this solemn event. Of course. He turned back and cleared his throat, covering his mouth with his hand to hide a broad grin. _I owe them one!_

"Ahem. Yes…" Fudge collected himself. "As I was saying, er, we are gathered here today for the rare event of bestowing the Order of Merlin, Third Class on these six young heroes. Mr. Neville Longbottom, Miss Luna Lovegood, Miss Ginny Weasley, Mr. Ronald Weasley, Miss Hermione Granger, and Mr. Harry…"

_"Harry! Harry! Harry!"_ several voices in back began to chant.

Harry wished he could sink through the floor. Fudge smiled and nodded. "Yes indeed, the one we've all been waiting to meet again. Mr. Harry--"

_"Harry! Harry! Harry!"_ more members of the crowd started shouting. _"Harry Potter! Harry Potter! Harry Potter!"_

"Er, yes, as I was say--"

_"HARRY! HARRY! HARRY!"_ Now half the crowd was at it! _"HARRY! HARRY! HARRY!"_

"Oh, bugger," Harry muttered. No one could hear him anyway. "Someone kill me now."

"At least it's shutting Fudge up," Ron whispered back, seeing Fudge growing flustered and starting to sweat as the Ministry security officers failed to restore order.

_"HARRY! HARRY! HARRY! HARRY!"_

Neville had his hands clapped over his ears, and even Luna was looking troubled. Fudge was trying to calm the crowd down so he could continue his speech, but all Harry could see was his mouth moving. Then, somewhere in the crowd, Harry picked out one voice.

"Harry! Oh, _Harry!_"

It brought him spinning around, whipping his wand out, and the crowd began to silence, startled. Harry scanned frantically through them as the chanting died down. Hermione grabbed his arm. "What're you doing?!"

"She's here," said Harry, not lowering his wand.

Fudge was apparently as dumbstruck as the others, and now the members of the Auror were also searching the faces of the onlookers. "Who's here?" pleaded Hermione, tugging on Harry's shoulder.

Harry knew he hadn't imagined it. He'd know that mocking, babyish, singsong voice until the day he died. Nothing else could make his stomach turn like that. Not even Voldemort. "Bellatrix Lestrange."

The people closest gasped, and now Moody turned, pulling out his own wand. "What did you say?" Harry heard Fudge say behind him.

"Harry, are you sure?" whispered Ginny, coming past Neville to join them.

"She's here," Harry repeated.

"Who?" Fudge cried. "Who's 'she?'"

_Might as well say it._ "Bellatrix Lestrange," Harry said loudly, causing a wave of gasps through the room as everyone looked around. "She's here." _Come out here, you bloody bitch. I may not have been able to get you before, but I will this time._

A cackling laugh brought his head sharply toward one of the fireplaces, and a black-robed figure sprang out, pulling off her mask. "'Ello there, little Harry. Miss me?"

As screams rang out from every direction and people started to run, Harry aimed his wand and roared, "_Avad__--_" but Neville was knocked into him by the stampede, which gave Hermione time to aim and shout, _"Stupefy!"_

Bellatrix dodged the curse, but as half a dozen red-robed Aurors charged toward her, they were struck by curses from behind. Harry spun around. "Oh no."

With shrieks and yells, figures in black robes poured through the fireplaces all along the Atrium. As Harry grabbed Ginny with one hand, Neville with the other and dove out of the open, shouting at the others to get down, he heard Moody bellow, "Why the devil weren't the fireplaces secured!?"

Fudge's babbled attempt to reply was drowned out in the chaos. "Ron! Ginny! Harry!" Mrs. Weasley cried, grabbing for them. As Harry and his friends gathered around her, she raised her wand and fired a stunner that threw a Death Eater back ten feet.

"We've got to get out of here!" Bill yelled, raising a shielding charm that another curse bounced off of. "To the fireplaces!"

Fortunately, the Death Eaters' attempt to attack in a major public event had the drawback of causing a massive hysterical crowd, which was hampering them as much as the Aurors. But there were a lot of them, and Harry and the Weasley twins were cut off from the others at one point by an Auror being thrown through the air into their midst, followed by a flurry of curses. "Get Potter!" he heard a Death Eater shout. It might have been Malfoy. Had they sprung him from Azkaban already? "Get the boy!"

"Down, Harry!" said Fred, sounding for once deathly serious, and fired a curse over Harry's head at another approaching black robe. But they'd been spotted, and more Death Eaters were converging toward them.

Harry froze in panic when he saw that the rest of the Weasleys, his friends, and several members of the Order were still directly between the Death Eaters and their objective—him. "Fred, George, I need a distraction!"

"What?"

"I need to draw them away! They're headed straight for your parents!" he shouted. He couldn't see a thing in this mob! He needed to get clear.

Fred stared at him, obviously horrified, but then George gave a sharp nod, reached into his pocket, and then there was an ear-splitting _BANG_ that caused everyone in the vicinity to falter and grab their ears. Confetti rained down, and Harry bellowed in the brief lull, "Come get me then, you bloody bastards!" and bolted away from the Weasleys.

"Harry, no!" he heard Mrs. Weasley cry, but George's shout of, "Mum, come on!" told him they would get their family safely out.

Harry didn't look back, but dashed toward the quieter side of the Atrium as hard as he could, knowing the Death Eaters would follow him. He threw a few stunners over his shoulder and was relieved to see that most of them had broken off their attacks on the bystanders and were giving chase. "Come on, you filthy buggers, come on!"

It sounded like there was an army of them behind him, and he didn't dare look back. Then from someone far down the Atrium, he heard Fred's shout of, "Harry, _go!_" followed by another loud bang which filled the Atrium with smoke.

Harry coughed and blinked as a gray sphere still emitting smoke rolled past him. He aimed with his wand and sent it rolling back, hoping it would confuse the Death Eaters long enough for him to get out. He couldn't see to throw a curse, but neither could they. But he'd passed the area with the fireplaces! _Blimey, I wish I could apparate._ He didn't think he'd be able to operate the old visitor's entrance telephone booth fast enough. The running footsteps were still coming, he'd have to hide.

A hand clapped over his mouth, while another pushed his wand hand away. "Mmph!" Harry squeaked in surprise and tried to squirm aside.

"Ssh!" hissed the stranger, and Harry saw enough of the robe sleeve to realize a Ministry worker had found him. "Quick, this way!"

Harry was pushed ahead to a single door along the Atrium wall, which opened as he approached. He needed no urging to dash through, and his rescuer shoved it closed behind them. "_Colloportus_"

Gasping for breath after choking a little on the smoke, Harry turned around, and the thanks he'd been about to express died on his lips.

"Percy?"

**_To be continued…_**

**_The upcoming chapters will delve a little into Percy's mind—from Harry's point of view as they flee for safety—and try to examine what's been going on in our poor Wayward Weasley's head. Oh, and we'll also get a glimpse of Harry's outlook on the wizarding government, the Weasley family, and the events of the past year in general. _**

****

**Please don't forget to review!** **Praise, encouragement, and constructive criticism all received with glee! I have thick skin! Hold back nothing!**


	2. A Journey in the Dark

**_A/N:  Somehow I don't think that Dumbledore gives out Prefect and Head Boy badges lightly.  Percy obviously has _some_ good qualities, or he wouldn't have done so well at Hogwarts.  Call me a sentimental fool, but I confess I just can't reconcile myself to the idea of an Evil Weasley.  I don't think Arthur and Molly Weasley could raise a seriously bad kid, let alone a Death Eater.  But I do know it's possible for even Good Guys to make serious errors in judgment, and I believe Percy did.  In this chapter, we—through Harry's eyes—get a look at Percy's point of view to find out the whys and wherefores of our Wayward Weasley, as well as a demonstration of those particular qualities that made Percy a Gryffindor._**

**Chapter Two:  A Journey in the Dark**

*****

_"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." ~ Arab Proverb_

*****

Percy Weasley glanced at the door, and already they could hear shouts as the Death Eaters reached it.  "No time.  Come on."  He grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him away from the door, and they set off at a run down a long corridor with plain white walls.  This was obviously not a public part of the Ministry.  Percy glanced over his shoulder as they heard the door open with a bang, and the running feet started after them.  "_Incommodare__!_"  

Harry looked back and immediately wished he hadn't; the white corridor seemed to be twisting and shifting, the very air rippling and bending, and he could just barely see the Death Eater's stopping and shouting in confusion.  "What'd you—"

"Quick, that won't hold them for long."  Percy tugged at Harry's arm again, and led him to a pair of heavy gray doors that paint was flaking from.  A lopsided sign read, **General Staff.**

Harry noticed that Percy's Ministry ID badge also listed him as general staff.  "I thought you worked for Minister Fudge," he said.

Percy shoved the door open.  "Not anymore," he said grimly, and motioned Harry inside.  

The General Staff room was another big, open area that reminded Harry of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement that he'd visited with Mr. Weasley, only this place was even louder and more crowded and cluttered.  There weren't even cubicles; the desks were lined up close together, with people squeezing in and out, carrying stacks of files and papers.  All looked young and frazzled, all wore plain and unassuming robes, and aside from the hustle and bustle of hard work, all appeared completely oblivious to the danger approaching.

Percy used a _sonorus_ charm and bellowed, "Everyone, listen!" The work stopped, and faces looked at him in surprise.  "The Ministry's at Code V!  Get to the emergency exits!"

Harry was startled; he had never seen Percy quite like this.  Even as a rather pompous Head Boy, no one had taken him very seriously.  But his shout was impossible to ignore, and the workers immediately dropped what they were doing and leapt from their seats, heading across the room.  "What's Code V?" he asked as Percy led him through the crowd.

"You-Know-Who, of course," said Percy.  Then he shouted, "No, not the main door exits!  It's a security breach, we'll take the other one!"  The office workers turned away from the door and moved to one side of the room.

"Weasley, where's the key?" cried a voice from the front of the crowd.

Percy yanked a lanyard from around his neck.  "Let us through!"  He brandished the key with one hand and kept a tight grip on Harry's wrist with the other.  He stopped at what appeared to be a flat stretch of wall with a little dent in it, and pushed the key into the dent.

"Is that _Harry Potter_?!" exclaimed someone, and many people gasped.

"You can get a bloody autograph later.  There's Death Eaters coming," snapped Percy, and the key clicked in the hidden lock.  He shoved the wall open and pushed Harry through.  "Come on!"

Harry stumbled into what appeared to be a dimly-lit cave.  "What…"

Percy pulled him aside so the rest of the workers could get through the door.  "Tunnel.  They run under the Ministry buildings."  Outside in the big office, there was a loud crash, and screams rang out.  "Go, go!" He pushed Harry and other random witches and wizards ahead of him as they heard curses being shouted outside.  "Damn, we'll never seal it off before they get here.  Move it, come on!"  He paused before a bend in the tunnel, and stood back against the wall.  "Back, Harry," he ordered, and pushed Harry behind him.  Harry peered past Percy's shoulder as the last of the panicked Ministry staff rushed into the tunnel.  Percy aimed at the black robes clambering over upset desks and piles of books toward the opening.  _"Moenoccludo!"_

With a great crash, the wall-door slammed shut in the Death Eaters' faces, and nearest tunnel walls caved in against it.  The ceiling of that section tumbled down on top of the rubble, thoroughly blocking the entrance with stone.  Behind them, lanterns flickered to life along the tunnel walls.  "Weasley?" said a shaky voice, and Harry saw that all the Ministry staff were waiting in the tunnel behind them.  The speaker was a wizard at the front of the group, not much older than Percy.  "What—"

"Move now, questions later," said Percy flatly, and jogged into the dim tunnel, urging the others along.  He caught Harry's arm again.  "Don't get lost.  This place is a maze."

"Will that hold them?" asked a wide-eyed blonde witch, hurrying along beside Harry.

"For a few minutes, maybe, but if we can get out of here, we'll make it."

"Can't you apparate?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Only to the atrium," said another wizard ahead of them.  "Death Eaters there too?"

"Probably," said Percy.  He pointed to a fork in the tunnel.  "Left, you lot!  Left!"  They obeyed, and Percy caved in the ceiling of the right tunnel.  "Come on, get around the bend.  _Evanesco__!"_ he vanished their footprints as they ran.  "With any luck they'll try the right."

Harry stared at Percy as they ran.  "You left Minister Fudge?"

The red-haired wizard pursed his lips, but someone behind them said, "Uh-uh.  Sacked."

Harry winced and was wondering what to say when they heard an explosion behind them.  "Ssh!  Hurry!" hissed someone.

The noise of running Death Eaters was getting louder, as was the breathing of many of the Ministry staff.  And it seemed to be getting closer.  "Don't think they fell for your red herring, Weasley."

Percy aimed his wand over his shoulder and hissed, _"Pateo magus!"_  In the gloom, a trail of white light appeared, following them down the tunnel.  "Oh, _damn!_"

"What's that?" hissed Harry.

"Tracer!" said another witch.

"Probably after Potter," said the wizard who'd told Harry about Percy's job.  Sure enough, the white stream did appear to be heading toward Harry.

They reached another fork.  "I'll take one, then, and you take the other," Harry suggested.  "Then the Death Eaters'll follow me."

"Right, you lot, go!" Percy whispered, and the workers dashed down the right tunnel.  But Percy didn't follow them.  Instead he turned to Harry.  "Come on."

"No, you should go with them!" Harry protested as he ran down the tunnel with Percy at his heels.

"Can't, you don't know the way out," Percy replied.  "Besides, even you can't take that many Death Eaters alone.  _Conturbo__!_" The white stream of tracing magic flickered and stopped.  

As the darkness grew heavy with the sounds of their footsteps and ragged breathing, Harry looked at him and asked, "Why?"

They dashed through a long stretch of tunnel before Percy said, "My parents would go mad if anything happened to you."

The shouts of the Death Eaters were getting very close.  "Move, you slugs, _move!_"

Percy pulled Harry to a stop and aimed his wand at the wall.  _"Patefacio!"_  The wall seemed to crumble, and exposed a black space.  "Quick!  Inside!"  They dove into the darkness, then Percy hissed, _"Occludo!"_ and the crumbled stone leapt back to where it had been, sealing them into the tunnel wall.  "Shh.  _Ostendo__._" 

The space they were in was no bigger than a closet, but the wall facing the tunnel had gone clear.  Through it, Harry and Percy watched and held their breath as the Death Eaters raced past.  "He's thrown off the tracers!"

"You bloody fools!" shouted one, his hood off, and Harry recognized Lucius Malfoy.  "The Dark Lord will have all our heads if we've lost the boy again!"

"He can't be that far ahead of us, hurry!" said someone as they vanished around another bend.

Percy waited several heartbeats before reopening the hiding place.  "How'd you do that?" Harry whispered.

"Which?" asked Percy as they started back toward the Ministry.

"All of it."

"You'll start learning the really interesting spells this year, for N.E.W.Ts," Percy replied with a ghost of a smile.  "Hurry, they'll realize soon we've doubled back."  He led Harry down a smaller, darker tunnel.

Harry blinked in the gloom.  "How do you know your way through here?"

"A project for the Minister.  I was to see that all the tunnels were in working order in case of an attack.  I had the workmen put in another entry for the general staff, so they could get out if anything happened," said Percy, and squinted as they came to another break.  "This way."

"When was that?" asked Harry, frowning.

"Mmm, let me see, he started me on it back in March, and we finished right after the attack in the Department of Mysteries."

Harry nearly stopped in his tracks.  "Fudge had you doing that?"

Percy looked at him in confusion.  "Well, yes.  Among other things."

He couldn't help himself.  "You were working on escape tunnels under the Ministry back when we supposedly 'weren't in any danger,' and I was a flipping madman raving about Voldemort's return?"

Percy flinched sharply, whether from Voldemort's name or embarrassment, Harry couldn't be sure.  He walked faster and muttered, "That wasn't the reason he gave."

"Oh, and what was it?  Protecting the Ministry from a possible attack by wild badgers?"  Harry supposed he shouldn't be nasty to someone who had probably saved his life, but the thought that Fudge might have really known what was going on infuriated him.

But Percy, despite having risked his own life to help Harry and the Ministry staff, still seemed to have retained that bizarre loyalty.  "I'm not exactly at liberty to tell you."  Harry snorted in disgust and stalked ahead.  "Take that branch to the right," Percy said from behind him.

They walked on in silence for several minutes, then Harry asked, "Have you been in touch with your family at all?"

Silence.  And then, "Not since the day after the Department of Mysteries.  How are they?"

"All right.  The Aurors moved them out of the Burrow into hiding."

"I know.  They moved me out of my flat.  Most of the Aurors' families are in hiding as well."

"Did Death Eaters goes after people's families in the first war?"

"They did, and they tried to strike Madam Bones' house two weeks after the Department of Mysteries attack."

Harry was startled.  "I hadn't heard about that!"

"It was in the _Daily Prophet._  No one hurt, thank heaven.  She had Aurors with her; all the higher-ups had started getting Auror escorts home.  After that they started moving everyone."

"Oh."  It felt strange, being this awkward around a Weasley.  "How much further is it?"

"Not much, I hope."

"You hope?"

"Well, some of the exits come up into the Ministry building, and I don't think it'd be wise to use them at the moment."

"No, I guess not."  They trudged on until the silence started getting to Harry again.  He flailed around for something to talk about.  "What's Minister Fudge like?" _Oh, brilliant, Harry, now THAT'S a safe topic!_

Percy kept his eyes on the tunnel ahead.  "What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't really know him.  You worked for him for a year, you must," Harry said.

When Percy was silent, Harry began to think he wouldn't answer, but then he said, "Minister Fudge is very, erm, dedicated."

"Oh.  I suppose…his job must be hard.  With all that responsibility and…everything," said Harry.  _You got yourself into this conversation, idiot, you can get yourself out!_

"Ahem.  Yes, the job is hard," said Percy.  "Gilbert Whimple always says it's a damn thankless business, serving the people.  All they ever do is complain."

"Really?" said Harry in surprise.

"Lord, yes," Percy sighed.  "That was part of my job, sorting through the Minister's complaint letters."

"I imagine he gets a lot of them."

"He does.  And then the staff had to answer all of them.  I was lucky; all I had to do was read them."  Percy shook his head. "We got over a hundred in one day once."

"Wow," said Harry.  "When was that?  After the news about Voldemort?"

"Then?  No, after that news broke we got thousands.  The hundred in one day was something to do with a new law on owl care," Percy told him, scowling.  "I never understood why so many people didn't want to treat their owls properly."

Harry gaped.  "What did the law say?"

"It was a limit on how many miles an owl could fly per week," Percy explained.  He seemed grateful too for something to pass the time on.  "To keep them from being worked to exhaustion."

"You mean…if a person doesn't keep track of how far their owl flies, they could hurt it?" Harry asked, appalled.  _I never thought of that when sending Hedwig with…_

Percy shook his head.  "It doesn't really affect people like you, Harry, or even Fred and George with all their correspondence to their friends.  The average owl is very strong, and can fly all over England without tiring.   The law was targeted at businesses, like wizard shipping companies, that send lots of bulk mail and package deliveries.  Some of those firms work their owls until they drop right out of the sky, and don't blink once.  They've got the money to replace them."

"That's terrible," Harry whispered.  Then he exclaimed, "And people _complained?"_

"Keep your voice down.  I think we've lost them for the moment.  Oh yes, there were complaints.  You see Whiz Deliveries and Speedy Owl Service had a big advertising campaign, trying to get people to protest against the bill.  They told people that the Ministry was abusing its authority by telling people what to do with their owls, and that we were going to restrict owl use so nobody could send mail more than twice a week, and other nonsense."

"But couldn't you tell them that wasn't true?  Surely nobody would want owls to be abused!" Harry protested.

Percy sighed.  "We did.  General Staff and the secretaries responded to over a thousand complaint letters on that issue alone, explaining exactly what the law would do.  But some people just don't listen."

"Why not?"

"People don't trust the government sometimes.  Lots of times," said Percy, the bitterness clear in his voice.  "It's bloody hard work, and we get paid less than we would doing the same jobs for, oh, a wizarding law firm or Gringotts or the like.  But everyone thinks we're shady."

Harry scratched his head.  He'd never really thought of the Ministry like this.  Of course, his experiences with Cornelius Fudge had been less than pleasant even in the best times, but on the other hand…there must be something to be said for it, when he thought about Mr. Weasley or Madam Bones.  And what about all those people who worked in the General Staff room?  By the looks of them, they were all just young, green wizards and witches fresh out of Hogwarts crammed into tiny spaces doing loads of work only to get griped at.  What made someone stay in a job like that?

Without thinking, he said, "I'm sorry you lost your job with Minister Fudge."

Percy looked away and shrugged.  "Well.  There were a lot of, mm, shake-ups after the news about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named came out.  And I moved up once, I can do it again.  Working in the Minister's office was, um…well, it was, er…a, erm, _useful_ experience.  I, ah, learned a great deal."

Harry nodded.  "True, at least having spent a year there, he probably taught you a lot about…mm…how the Ministry works and all."

"Well, er, I didn't spend that much time with the Minister himself.  He's a busy man, you know.  When I was with him, I usually just took dictations like I did when y—yes, well.  But there was another of his Undersecretaries that I worked with a bit more, Henry Wallace.  He was more my supervisor, you know, and he was a terrific chap.  Taught me lots of the ins and outs."

"Well, that's good," said Harry.  "Is he still there?  Maybe he could write you a recommendation to another office sometime."

"No, Hank was another one sacked in the shake-up.  But he got a new job over at the American Wizarding Embassy.  Likes it too; we still write.  He says Yank wizards are a bit odd, but it's fun, and they've got better security than we do."

"Maybe you could go work there, then," suggested Harry, as they came to another fork in the tunnel.

"Bear left," said Percy, indicating the narrower of the two branches.  "I thought about it, but I'd rather stay at the Ministry.  Lots of people quitting now because of You-Know-Who.  Someone has to bear it out and keep the government going, unless we want Death Eaters to take over."

_Good point. Better Fudge than Lucius Malfoy, I suppose.  Maybe._  Harry watched as Percy cast another magic detection charm behind them, but no more tracers had found them.  "I don't suppose the Ministry's going to lift the ban on underage magic?  Defending ourselves against Death Eater attacks without magic could be rather hard."

Percy looked sheepish.  He was obviously recalling the hearing last year.  "Er, I know Madam Bones was writing an amendment to it that would extend the 'Exceptional Circumstances' clause so that defensive spells won't need a hearing.  It'll almost surely pass."

"And even if it doesn't, Professor Dumbledore's back on the Wizengamot.  They'd never convict someone who used magic for protection," said Harry.

Bringing up Dumbledore was obviously a bad idea.  Percy scowled.  "That's right and good, if it's justified, I suppose, so long as he doesn't keep trying to abuse his influence on the wizarding community."

Harry's head snapped toward Percy.  "Dumbledore's never done that!"

"You don't know that, Harry," Percy retorted.  "If you'd seen all the letters I read last year saying Dumbledore should be Minister--"

"Big ruddy deal!" Harry snapped.  "Dumbledore didn't write them!  And he'd never leave Hogwarts anyway.  He wasn't after Fudge's job!"

"Well…maybe not, but that didn't stop people from comparing the Minister to him.  All the time, Dumbledore, Dumbledore, Dumbledore!" Percy spat.  "All that did was destabilize the Minister's administration and take his mind off the work he was supposed to be doing, because everyone was always talking about Dumbledore the bloody miracle worker!"

"What of it?  Dumbledore's the greatest wizard in the world!  Should he have to hide his skills or lock himself in a closet just so Fudge won't look incompetent?"

"Don't talk about the Minister like that!"

"Your bloody Minister just can't stand criticism, can he?  Maybe politics is thankless, but if he's doing a lousy job, he deserves to be told so," Harry said.

"Oh?  And did he deserve Dumbledore trying to raise a bloody army against him?  You were there, Harry, that I remember.  Tell me what that was all about!  Tell me what Dumbledore's recruiting pitch was.  What _was_ he organizing you lot for, if not to attack the Ministry and Mr. Fudge?" Percy demanded.  

Harry faltered.  They had stopped right there in the tunnel and were glaring at each other, arms folded.  What would Percy do—or rather, who would Percy tell—if Harry explained what had really happened?  He knew better than to trust Percy not to say anything, and he might even be expelled from Hogwarts if…but then there was the little matter of the truth… "That was a lie," he heard himself say.

Percy blinked.  "What're you talking about?"

"Dumbledore didn't organize that group.  He had nothing to do with it.  He made the story up to protect me, because he knew Fudge was paranoid enough to swallow it."

Percy took a step back.  "You're lying."

"No, I'm not," Harry muttered, feeling very tired.  "The name was just a joke.  Herm—I started the club early in the year when Umbridge wouldn't teach us Defense.  Those of us who knew Voldemort was back wanted to be ready to protect ourselves."

Percy had flinched again when Harry mentioned Voldemort.  "Professor Umbridge did teach you Defense…"

"That git?" Harry laughed.  "She didn't teach us a bloody thing!  She was just Fudge's lap dog there to take over Hogwarts—"

"That's not true!"

"All those so-called Educational Decrees, since when does the Ministry try and get control of a school away from the people who're supposed to be in charge—"

"Dumbledore was defying Minister Fudge—"

"Dumbledore doesn't answer to Fudge where Hogwarts is concerned!  I remember that from the hearing; the Ministry's got no authority over students, or at least he's not supposed to.  I remember the other wizards resigning their positions because Fudge was overreaching his power, they said!  None of this would've happened if Fudge hadn't been trying to stick his nose where it didn't belong—"

"The Minister has a right to prevent plots against him—"

"The only one trying to 'take over' anything was Fudge!" Harry fumed. 

"Dumbledore and his followers were—"

"Dumbledore's not organizing any 'followers,' you bloody idiot, that's Voldemort.  Dumbledore's just earned the kind of respect that your git of a Minister will never have because he's such a bloody paranoid idiot—"

"That's disloyalty to the Ministry—"

"And since when do any of us owe any loyalty to the bloody Ministry!  I thought this government business was all about serving the people, not serving Fudge!  Fudge and your precious Ministry's supposed to work for us, not the other way round!" 

"Minister Fudge was doing what he thought best for the Hogwarts students by keeping an eye on things," said Percy, but Harry could see his resolve starting to crack.

"Him and Umbridge!  She was the one who sent those dementors after my cousin and me."

Percy blanched.  In a shaky voice, he said, "That's impossible."

"Ask Ron and Ginny if you still think I'm crazy.  She admitted it, in front of them, right before she tried to use the _Cruciatus_ curse on me."

_ "What?"_

"She…I…I started getting strange dreams about Voldemort.  Oh, stop it, it's stupid to be afraid of his name.  The night of the attack in the Department of Mysteries, I fell asleep and saw…the Death Eaters going there.  I…I sort of panicked.  I went into a school fire trying to…find Dumbledore and tell him what was happening.  But Umbridge caught me, and Ron, Ginny, and Hermione'd been keeping watch, and that's when it happened."  Harry grimaced at the memory.  _Playing hero…oh Sirius._  Of course, he couldn't tell Percy the real reason.

Percy looked horrified.  "Did she…would she have…she only tried?"

Harry nodded.  "Hermione made up a story so she wouldn't do it.  She wanted me to tell her where Dumbledore was, but I didn't know."  At least it wasn't a total lie.  It made him sad, actually.  Percy was the only Weasley Harry had to lie to.

Percy actually seemed to believe him.  "But she'd have done it?"  Harry nodded.  Percy looked about to be sick.  "If you…if…you couldn't, or you didn't tell her, do you think she'd have…would she have cursed…"

Oh.  That explained it.  "Would she have used the _Cruciatus_ on Ron or Ginny, you mean?" Percy flinched harder than when Harry had mentioned Voldemort.  "I don't know.  Probably.  She actually gave Filch approval to whip Fred and George a week before—lucky they took off.  I guess it's a good thing she was so focused on me that night.  If she'd thought it would get me to talk, she might have tried cursing Ron and Ginny."

Percy turned slowly away and headed on down the tunnel.  "We should keep moving," he muttered, and silence descended again.  Now Percy was walking close to the tunnel wall, and every now and then Harry saw him put a hand on the smooth stone, as if to steady himself.

It had been satisfying at first, to destroy Percy's illusions about his heroes, but now Harry felt a bit ashamed.  True or not, it had obviously shaken Percy much more to realize what might have happened to his siblings.  Harry trotted a few steps to walk next to him.  "It wouldn't have happened, though.  She might have tried, but I'd never have let her."

Keeping his eyes on the tunnel ahead, Percy murmured, "How could you have stopped her?"

"I'd have hexed her or tackled her if I had to before I let her hurt Ron and Ginny."  Percy said nothing but grabbed for the wall again.  His head hung.  "Anyway, she didn't.  It never went that far.  But it was Hermione who stopped it."

Percy narrowed his eyes at Harry as they walked.  "But you took them with you to the Department of Mysteries."

Now it was Harry's turn to flinch.  "I, well, I didn't want Ginny to come.  But she wouldn't let us stop her.  And I…knew better than to even try and talk Ron and Hermione out of it."

"Meaning you at least wanted them with you, even though you were going after Death Eaters."

"They're my friends," said Harry.  "And you don't know everyth—"

"They got hurt," said Percy.  Harry had to turn away.  "So perhaps you'd better explain to me what they were doing there.  Why you, a bunch of Hogwarts fifth years who by your own admission didn't know enough defensive magic, went charging off to the Department of Mysteries _knowing_, as you claim, there were Death Eaters there, rather than calling at least for Aurors.  The Ministry is kept very secure; they would at least have looked into it."

"There was…an important reason," said Harry through his tight throat.

"What."

"I…I can't tell you.  No, I'm sorry, I can't!" Harry insisted, raising a hand at Percy's furious face.  "It's…it has to do with my family, and it could put people in danger if you—"

"Dumbledore!" groaned Percy.

"What?"

"Dumbledore was there, wasn't he?  And it has to do with…family, of course," Percy slapped his forehead.  Harry stared at him in confusion.  Percy looked triumphant.  "_That's_ why he takes so much care of you, lets you get away with everything.  Dumbledore is your family, isn't he?  He's your…well, can't be your father, I suppose, maybe your grandfather?  Great uncle?"

The whole idea was so ludicrous that Harry found himself giggling.  "'Luke, I am your father.'"

Percy blinked.  "What?"

Harry couldn't stop laughing.  "Sorry, sorry, Muggle cliché.  No, Percy, you've got it wrong, it wasn't Dumbledore.  I mean, we're not related.  It was a, uh, erm, a _thing_ in the Department of Mysteries that has to do with my family.  It was…something that could be dangerous to a lot of people.  But because I'm the only Potter left, I'm the only one who could get to it.  But I didn't realize that at the time, so when I came, the Death Eaters wanted to use me to reach it."  He sighed.  _Trying to play hero._

"So it was a trap.  That's how they got hurt."  Harry looked away and nodded.  Percy sighed.  "What are you, a Seer?  Is that how you had the dreams?"

"No, I'm not a Seer.  I don't really understand it, but we think it has to do with the scar," said Harry.  "When Voldemort tried to kill me, he, the magic caused it."

"So you could, sort of, _spy_ on him?"

"Sort of.  But when he realized it was happening, he sent the Death Eaters to the Department of Mysteries hoping to lure me there.  And it worked," Harry sighed.  "So yes, if you're wondering, it is my fault Ron and Ginny got hurt."

Percy was quiet.  "So how'd you manage to get out of there without a scratch?"

The idea was so absurd Harry nearly laughed out loud.  But then he realized that in a way…it was true.  All the same, "I didn't."

"You weren't at St. Mungo's or the hospital wing at Hogwarts."

"No, what happened was…different.  I can't be specific."

Percy sounded skeptical.  "But something did happen to you?"

"Your eagerness is touching," he muttered.

"I didn't mean it like that.  I just wondered why you keep taking my brother with you on these escapades if you always come back unhurt."

"I told you, I didn't," snapped Harry.  He shivered, remembering the serpent's coils around him, and the pain, and that more than his words apparently convinced Percy.

"Sorry."  Percy gestured ahead of them.  "I think we're almost there."

"Bout bloody time," Harry said, and Percy chuckled in agreement.  Their pace quickened to a jog, and Harry thought he saw light around the next bend.  "Where do we come out?"

"On the common about half a mile south of the building.  Oh, and if we run into any Muggles, we were, ah, surveying the sewers."

"Right, then," Harry said, thinking they didn't look much like sewer workers.

They rounded the corner, and the first thing Harry saw was a thin stream of light coming from what looked like a crack in the ceiling of the tunnel.  The stream flowed down through the dusty air, illuminating the woman robed in black, her gaunt face twisted with cruel amusement.  "Well, well!" This time her voice was syrupy sweet, reminding Harry of Umbridge.  "Hello again, little Harry!"

*****

**_To be continued…_**

*****

**_Next time:  Percy discovers firsthand  _exactly_ what Harry's been up against all these years.  Will the Weasleys ever have a reunion or will they become the next family shattered forever by Bellatrix Lestrange?_**

**Don't forget to review!**


	3. The Light at the End

**Chapter Three:  The Light at the End**

*****

_"Truth is generally the best vindication against slander." ~ Abraham Lincoln_

*****

"Run!" Harry shoved Percy out of the way as Bellatrix Lestrange aimed a _Cruciatus_ curse at him.  He whipped out his wand.  _"Expelliarmus!"_

Bellatrix ducked aside and laughed.  _"Stupefy!_  Oh look, baby Potter's got himself another Weasley!  Never run out of them, do we?"  She dodged a stunner fired by Percy.

"Where's your friends?" asked Harry darkly, expecting to hear them coming.

"Oh, don't worry, ickle Harrykins, they'll be coming.  When you gave us the slip with your little errand boy friend, we posted guards on all the exits.  _Crucio__!"_

Harry dove for cover.  "Percy, just go!"

Instead, Percy pointed his wand straight up.  _"Reducto!"_

The crack in the ceiling became a huge hole as stone and dirt exploded outward.  Light streamed into the tunnel.  Harry coughed, and Bellatrix let out a scream of fury and took dead aim at Percy.  _"Avada—"_

"No!  _Impedimenta!_" Harry's spell cut her off, and he grabbed Percy's arm.  "Come on!"

Percy turned to Harry.  _"Wingardium Leviosa!"_

"No, wait!" Harry shouted, but he found himself lifting into the air, and Percy levitated him straight up and out of the hole.  "Percy!"  He landed with a thump on the grass, in time to hear Bellatrix shout another curse, and below him, Percy screamed.  Harry scrabbled back to the hole and stuck his head in.  _No, no, please don't let him be dead, please!_

Bellatrix was strolling over to Percy, who lay disarmed and dazed against the tunnel wall.  One leg was bent oddly beneath him.  "Ahh, my first Weasley kill.  I'm going to enjoy this."  

Dragging himself into as much of a sitting position as he could, Percy spat at her feet.  She laughed, and Harry leaned as far in as he could, bracing himself with one hand.  Bellatrix raised her wand to deliver a killing curse, and Harry aimed.  He briefly thought of using a stronger spell, but better to use one he knew well enough not to fail.  He dared not miss.  _"Stupefy!"_

The stunner hit her squarely in the back, and she bowled over with a gasp.  Percy dragged himself away from her, then froze.  Both he and Harry could hear pounding feet in the tunnel.  Somehow it didn't sound like Aurors.  "Harry, go, quick!"

"Not a chance, Percy.  _Mobilicorpus__!"_

"Whoa!" Now it was Percy's turn to be levitated, and Harry sailed him as carefully as he could up to the hole, then through it, and left him on the grass.  "My wand!"

"Hang on.  _Accio__ wand!_"  Percy's wand landed in Harry's hand.

"I guess you won't know a bone healing spell?" asked Percy, his face tight with pain.

"Sorry.  Here, give me your hand."  Harry braced himself, and Percy, keeping his weight on his good leg, slowly maneuvered to his feet.  "Can you close that hole?"

"What?  Oh, hang on."  Balancing on one leg, with one arm around Harry's shoulders, Percy aimed at the hole and caved the whole thing in.  "I hope the rest of the staff got out." 

"Come on," said Harry.  "Let's get out of here."  They were a strange sight, hobbling along, covered with dirt, battered and bruised.  Harry couldn't remember whether his face had been cut during the fight in the crowd or while fighting Bellatrix, but his fingertips came away from his forehead covered with dried blood.  Percy's lip was split, one cheek already swelling and turning purple, and he was hopping along on one foot while being held up by Harry.

It felt like forever, but they'd barely made it halfway across the green by the time the first Aurors began apparating into view.  "They're here!" shouted someone from behind them, and Harry gasped with relief to see Kingsley Shacklebolt.  

Tonks popped onto the field right next to them, and took Percy's other arm.  "Bugger, Harry, where did you two disappear to?  The general staff said you'd gone down another tunnel, but you got so ruddy lost down there no one could find you!"

"We thought you'd been taken," added Kingsley.  "Remus Lupin's hysterical.  Here, let me handle this, Harry.  Let's sit you down, Weasley, and repair that leg."

Percy grunted, "Yes, sir," and let them gingerly lower him to the ground.

There were shouts and pounding feet from the road, and Harry went instinctively for his wand, but held back at the sight of multiple red heads.  "Harry!  Harry!" Mrs. Weasley was crying, rushing toward him, but then her eyes were drawn to the Ministry-robed figure sitting on the ground between Tonks and Kingsley , and her jaw dropped.  _"Percy?!"_

Just behind her, Ron and the twins froze.  "Bloody hell," muttered one of them.

For an instant, Mrs. Weasley looked like she couldn't decide where to run, but given that Harry was on his feet and Percy wasn't, she dropped to her knees beside her son and threw her arms around him.  "Percy, what happened—how did you—who did this—oh, Percy, Percy!" she sobbed, rocking slightly.

Harry couldn't see Percy's face, but noticed that his arms were around his mother.  "'s okay, Mum.  'm all right," he was mumbling into her shoulder.  

Mr. Weasley was coming over more hesitantly, with the rest of the Weasley clan.  "Harry?" asked Ron.  "You all right, mate?"

"I'm fine," said Harry quietly.  He hid a smile.  "Percy saved me.  He fought Bellatrix Lestrange."

A sniffle came from Ginny's general direction, and Mr. Weasley gave Harry a little pat on the shoulder, then walked slowly over to his wife and middle son and knelt down, embracing them both.  Harry couldn't make out everything he said through Mrs. Weasley's sobs and the chatter of the Aurors, but he heard Mr. Weasley say, "Perce," and one of Percy's hands released Mrs. Weasley to clasp his father's hand.

Tonks and Kingsley exchanged a glance, then Tonks grinned, aimed her wand at Percy's leg, muttered a spell, and Percy yelped.  Both parents jumped back, and the Aurors laughed.  "Just bend your leg for us, son, then we'll leave you alone," said Kingsley with a grin.

Percy obeyed, and found his leg back in working order.  His parents helped him to his feet, and Mrs. Weasley began dabbing at the blood on his face with the corner of her robe.  "'m all right, Mum," he said again, his eyes lowered.

There was a loud _crack_ as another wizard apparated very near them, and everyone jumped.  "All right, you lot, this is not a secure area!  A hundred Death Eaters could apparate right here while you're dawdling, now get a move on!" roared Mad-Eye Moody, and everyone laughed in relief.

"Sorry, Alastor, we're going now," chuckled Mr. Weasley.

Moody stopped his ranting at the other Aurors to take in the Weasleys.  "Mm, all seven of 'em again.  Where're you planning on taking him, Arthur?"

Mr. Weasley frowned, and Harry suddenly understood.  Could they trust Percy with the Order of the Phoenix?  "What do you think, Alastor?  I don't want my son left alone, but if we should…"

At that moment, Professor Dumbledore appeared.  Harry cringed and saw Percy do the same.  Obviously it would be a long time before Percy's faith in the Headmaster of Hogwarts was restored.  In that at least, Harry could identify with him.  "Hello, Percy."

"Headmaster."

Dumbledore smiled and looked at Mr. Weasley.  "I understand we've a bit of a dilemma here, Arthur."

"Percy needs a healer's attention."

"I'm fine, Dad," Percy said, trying to back away from Dumbledore.  "A change of robes and a nap is all I need."

"But none of the Death Eaters have been caught yet, and that Lestrange woman…please, Albus, can't we take him…somewhere safe?" pleaded Mrs. Weasley.

Percy looked from his parents to Dumbledore to Harry with a frown, trying to figure out exactly what they meant.  Dumbledore slowly nodded, "I agree, Molly.  I'm afraid your courage has made you another target of Lord Voldemort, Percy, or at least one of the worst of his followers.  Bellatrix Lestrange does not forget those who have thwarted her goals."  Harry shivered, remembering Neville.  "But as you've already perceived, there is an element of confidentiality involved."

Bill and Charlie had gone to stand by their parents and Percy, while Ginny, Ron, and the twins were clustered silently around Harry.  Percy cleared his throat.  "I…well, I can certainly keep a confidence to protect my family from V-V—from him, Headmaster, so long as it doesn't involve any, er, subversion."

One of the twins sighed loudly, and Dumbledore came closer to Percy, who was backed up against his parents.  It reminded Harry of Fudge.  Harry himself might still be flipping mad at Dumbledore over last year, but he at least wasn't afraid of him.  Percy, like his former boss, clearly was.  Dumbledore's eyes flicked briefly toward Mr. Weasley, who bowed his head.  "I'm afraid we'd need more than that if we're to disclose any information to you, Percy, for the safety of your family and many others.  But I won't stand in the way of your parents bringing you to safety."

Mr. Weasley seemed to shift position, and Harry saw the tip of his wand touch the back of Percy's neck, before he murmured a word, and Percy suddenly sagged in his parents' arms.  "Percy, what—oh, Arthur, was that really necessary?" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley, sounding more annoyed than frightened.

"Moody said this place isn't secure, and we don't have time for questions," said Mr. Weasley, holding Percy upright with the help of Bill.

Professor Dumbledore held out a large, stuffed skunk to Mrs. Weasley, and said, "You know what to do once you get him there?"  She pursed her lips, but nodded.  "Be sure to take the children who cannot apparate.  I will meet you all shortly."

"Professor, are Hermione, Luna, and Neville all right?" Harry asked.

"They're all fine, Harry, and safe."  Professor Dumbledore smiled, and Harry knew where they were.  That must be why he'd insisted on knocking Percy out before taking him.  They couldn't give up the Order's location to Percy.

"Ron, Ginny, Harry, come along.  Molly, why don't you and the others run ahead and get a bedroom ready," said Mr. Weasley, cradling the sleeping Percy against him.  Soberly, Harry, Ron, and Ginny did as he ordered, each putting a hand on the fuzzy portkey.  "And away we go."

***

They arrived at Grimmauld Place and Harry went with most of the others to the drawing room, with Bill and Charlie carried Percy upstairs under the supervision of Mrs. Weasley.  "What'll happen to him?" asked Ron.  "I mean if he can't know about the Order."

Harry cringed, mentally going through the list of possible solutions and not liking them, and Mr. Weasley drew himself up, turning to Dumbledore as the Headmaster walked into the room.  "I am _not_ obliviating my own son, Albus."

"Don't worry, Arthur.  I do not believe it will come to that."

Footsteps came scuffling up the stairs from the kitchen, and Hermione, Neville, and Luna came hurrying in, Neville still clutching a half-eaten sandwich.  "Harry!" Hermione threw her arms around him in a short but fierce hug.  "Thank heavens you're safe.  We thought the worst when you didn't come out of the tunnels with the others."

"Hold onto your socks, Hermione, it gets crazier," said Ron.  "Did you hear who rescued him?"

Hermione and the other two shook their heads curiously.  "Might want to sit down then, mates," said Fred, coming into the room with George at his heels.

Hermione screwed up her face in thought as Luna and Neville obediently sat.  "Crazy, you say?  Let me guess…Fudge?"

"Almost," said Ron.  "Percy."

"Percy?!"

"He's here," Ginny explained.  "He got Harry through the back offices to the tunnels, split off with him from the others to divert the Death Eaters, and dueled Bellatrix Lestrange while levitating Harry out.  Got a broken leg for it too."

"That's very brave," said Luna, her eyes fixed on the wall.  "Very, very brave."

"You're quite right, Miss Lovegood," said Professor Dumbledore.  His eyes rose from her to meet Harry's, and then each of the Weasleys in the room.  "It takes a great deal of courage to do what Percy did.  And of course, I'm not only referring to his fighting Death Eaters."

All at once, there was shouting upstairs.  Harry jumped and heard something heavy thud against a door, then a door opening, and Percy came pelting down the stairs, robes awry, his face still bloody and dirty.  "Where the devil is this?  What'd you—" he spotted Dumbledore and leapt backward, looking frantically at his father.  "You let him stun me?!"

Mr. Weasley sighed, "No, Percy, that was me.  We didn't have time to explain on that field right above the Ministry tunnels with Death Eaters about."

Percy's eyes were narrowed, glaring from Mr. Weasley to Dumbledore to Harry.  "How did I get here?"

"A portkey.  I wanted to explain, but we knew you wouldn't be willing to take a portkey without knowing where it goes, and…" Mr. Weasley raised his hands apologetically.  "I am sorry, Percy.  There just wasn't time."

The stairs creaked as Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie came down into the drawing room.  Mrs. Weasley's lips were trembling.  "Percy…please, don't…"

Percy gave her an exasperated look.  "Don't what already?"

"Don't hate us," she said in a small voice.

Harry couldn't help the way he winced.  He wasn't quite sure why, but all this hurt to watch.  It was making his insides spin around as if in a muggle centrifuge, and his heart felt like it was going to pound its way out of his chest.  He would have liked to leave the room, but Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie were still in the doorway and he'd have had to pass Percy too.  So he shrank back against the wall and folded his arms across his chest, trying not to hear the quarrel he knew was about to erupt within his—Ron's family.

Percy had folded his arms too and wouldn't meet his mother's eyes.  "None of you trust me."

"I trust you," she whispered.  "I'll always trust you."

He looked hard at her.  "Then tell me where I am."

Mr. Weasley took a step forward and began gently, "Percy—"

"You're at the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix," said Mrs. Weasley.

There was the sound of air hissing between teeth as more than a few people sucked in their breath.  Only Professor Dumbledore looked untroubled.  Percy spun around to face him.  "So there is such a group?"

"You've heard of us, I take it?" said Dumbledore.

Percy nodded.  "Minister Fudge said it was a group of witches and wizards you organized to take over the Ministry."

"Oh, bloody wake up already!" Harry burst out as sheer frustration took over him.  "Nobody is bloody out to get Fudge, except Voldemort and he's out to get everyone!"  Several people flinched.  "The Order has nothing to do with Fudge or the Ministry.  They're just trying to save lives.  The only time they've ever been directly against Fudge is when he wanted to prevent them from doing it!"

"Harry."  Professor Dumbledore put a hand on his shoulder.  Percy's mouth was hanging open.  "Percy, I fear Harry had some very unpleasant experiences last year related directly to the Order's inability to act openly to protect him from Lord Voldemort.  However, his explanation is all-in-all correct.  I do not desire the Minister's position, nor do I feel any malice for Mr. Fudge himself.  All I have ever desired is to keep Hogwarts a safe and positive environment for magical learning, and the safety and freedom of the wizarding community.  I realize you have no reason to take me at my word, but I will say it nonetheless."

Percy's jaw was working, and Harry was certain that he could hear his teeth grinding.  He supposed that for someone who had spent the last year believing so desperately in Fudge and his ilk, this must be hard to swallow.  But then again, Percy was a Weasley, standing here surrounded by all the other Weasleys, after seeing Death Eaters trying to capture Harry for Voldemort with his own eyes.  Which would win over?  The Ministry or his family?  Harry held his breath.

"I want the truth."

The breath rushed out in exasperation, and Harry, along with Ron, Ginny, and Hermione, protested, "That _is_ the truth!" but Percy held up a hand, looking from Harry to Dumbledore.  

"The whole truth."

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked at Dumbledore.  The Headmaster slowly nodded and stepped back, gesturing to the sofa.  "In that case, Percy, I suggest you sit down.  This will take some time."  Percy instead took an armchair.  The others crowded onto the couches and the floor. The twins leaned against the wall, uncharacteristically solemn.  "Ask me anything you would like to know, and I will tell you all I can."

The upholstery rustled as people shifted.  Percy studied his knees, then said, "What really happened with Dumbledore's Army?"

Dumbledore smiled.  "I think perhaps Harry and your siblings would be better qualified to answer that question.  I was aware of it, but uninvolved, other than that I turned a blind eye to their activities."

"So it was Harry who started it," Percy mused.

"Actually, it was more Hermione's idea," said Ron.  "Harry was sort-of put in charge by default because he's better at defense than any of us.  He just taught us what he knew."

"Like what?"

"Well…" Hermione toyed with her wand as she thought.  "We started with the Disarming Charm; I remember, because Harry told us he'd actually used it on Voldemort—oh, don't, Percy, it's silly.  And then we did stunners, and then shields, and then…Lord, we went through lots of spells.  The one we were doing the night Marietta ratted us out was Patronus.  Mine's an otter," she added proudly.

"Corporeal?" Percy exclaimed.

Hermione grinned and nodded.  "And Cho Chang's is a swan, and Terry Boot's was a bear, and…what was Susan's, Ron?"

"A lemur, I think, or maybe a monkey," said Ron.  He sighed, looking dismally at Percy.  "I think I was getting close when Dobby warned us Umbridge was coming.  Haven't had a chance to practice since."

"It was definitely something small," Ginny said helpfully.  "Mine's a cat."

Percy looked a little dazed, but nodded.  "Er, why did you take the blame for it?" he asked Dumbledore.

"Because Harry would have been expelled.  I could not permit that to happen."

"But…I mean…if he was breaking the rules that badly, well…" Percy was turning red, not looking at Harry.

Dumbledore leaned forward in his chair.  "Understand, Percy, knowing what you know now, the very grave danger Harry would have been in if he had been forced to leave Hogwarts and lost the use of his wand.  Lord Voldemort was alive and biding his time.  But had Harry become vulnerable, he would surely have struck."

Mrs. Weasley shivered and looked at Harry, her eyes brimming.  He wondered if she was remembering the boggart in the desk.  Percy frowned at his mother, then looked at Harry.  "And why does V—V—why does _He_ want Harry dead?"

Harry looked hastily at Dumbledore, who said, "I'm afraid I'm unable to tell you that, Percy.  But it is not because I do not trust you.  In fact there is only one other person in this room who knows why."  

Harry wished Dumbledore had left that part out.  Every pair of eyes in the room focused on him.  "Please, just…don't ask.  I don't quite understand it myself."

At least it seemed to satisfy Percy.  He shuffled his feet, then asked, "How did my father get hurt last winter?"

"Your father was guarding an item of importance in the Department of Mysteries.  Lord Voldemort sent a serpent after him.  Fortunately, Harry learned of the attack in time for us to save him," said Dumbledore carefully.

Percy looked at Harry.  "Another dream?"

Harry nodded.  Dumbledore smiled.  "I see Harry has brought you up to speed on some of the happenings last year.  Yes, he has found himself privy to Lord Voldemort's plans in his dreams.  The only explanation we can discern is that Harry's scar is in fact a magical connection, caused by Voldemort's first attempt on Harry's life."

"Contrary to what Rita Skeeter's nonsense said," added Hermione, scowling.  "And all the rest of that pap in the _Daily Prophet_."

Judging by the way his face colored, Harry suspected Percy had prompted some of those articles last year himself.  He shuffled his feet again.  "So what really happened in the Department of Mysteries that night?"

Dumbledore took a deep breath.  "That is rather complicated."

"I want to know," said Percy, meeting his eyes for the first time.  "What was everyone guarding that Ron, Ginny, and my father got hurt over?"

Hermione hissed and looked at Harry in alarm, at about the same moment that Harry's heart fell with a splash into his stomach.  Dumbledore saw his face, and said slowly, "Would you like me to explain, Harry?"  He nodded.  There was no way he could tell Percy this.  "Very well.  What you must be aware of first, Percy, is that there were great risks taken to protect innocent lives.  And I'm afraid, there were some very serious laws broken.  But the reason was, as I've said before, to protect the innocent.  Now what I'm going to tell you will seem very hard to believe, given what you've been told for many years.  Indeed, many of us thought it to be the truth, only it turned out to be a dreadful miscarriage of justice—"

Harry couldn't stand it.  He jumped up so fast that everyone else jumped too, and he headed for the doorway.  "Harry!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley, reaching out to stop him.

"It's okay," he managed to say, despite his churning stomach and the lump in his throat.  "I just…sorry, I don't want to…"

"Harry?" Somehow Dumbledore's voice made him turn around.  Percy was watching him with wide eyes. "Have I your permission?"

That lump was getting very big.  Harry nodded jerkily, then dashed out of the drawing room and up the stairs, but it still wasn't fast enough to avoid hearing.  "Percy, a few years ago we discovered that Harry had a godfather…"

***

Harry tore past his own room to Sirius' mother's bedroom, and startled Buckbeak when he threw open the door.  His sense of self-preservation kicked in at the last minute, and he bowed hastily, trying to control his breathing.  "Sorry, Buckbeak.  Just needed to get away, you know."  

He closed the door quietly, figuring he'd just sit down for a bit, but Buckbeak suddenly got up and scooted over from where he'd been curled up on middle of the bed.  Harry stared in surprise, and Buckbeak cocked his head.  Slowly, he came and sat down, then lay across the space Buckbeak had made.  The hippogriff spread a wing over him.  "You miss him too, don't you?" he whispered.

Feathers brushed his ear, and Buckbeak made a soft noise in the back of his throat.  Harry lay very still, staring at the ceiling, not trusting himself even to look at Buckbeak, and concentrated on breathing and clearing his mind.  He could imagine the story Dumbledore was telling Percy downstairs, and as if that alone wasn't enough, the thought of Percy even once trying to call Sirius a murderer made him feel sick.  

"He could've been cleared if he'd made it through that night," Harry whispered to Buckbeak.  "We could've made the Death Eaters tell about Wormtail, and Sirius could've left to help with the Order, or maybe taught at Hogwarts.  Yeah, he'd have made a good Defense professor.  Probably best we'd have had since Lupin.  Figures, doesn't it?  And he'd have taught us stuff we _needed_ to know, to protect ourselves against Voldemort.  Or even if not at Hogwarts, he could've met us on Hogsmeade weekends, and I could've owled him anytime I wanted for anything…"

Buckbeak rested his head on the mattress next to Harry's.  Harry heard the door open, and quickly rolled onto his side to face away from it, pretending he was scratching Buckbeak's head.  The mattress creaked as someone sat on the edge of it and began rubbing Harry's back.  "Albus sent for me."

Harry jumped.  He had expected Mrs. Weasley, but it was Professor Lupin.  "I'm all right."

The rubbing was easing the knots out of his back.  "I see Percy's coming around."

"Not sure.  Still kind of skeptical when I left."

"Well, from what I saw when I arrived, Albus and the rest of his family are very close to convincing him.  And you too, I suppose, even in your absence.  But I'm not surprised; no one who speaks to you at length could call you dishonest."

Harry smiled into the mattress.  "Thanks, Professor."

"Harry, I think it's time we dropped the 'Professor.'  I'd rather you called me Remus, or Moony, perhaps?"

Just now, Harry found that he couldn't say the word "Moony."  "Okay, Remus."

The rubbing was helping him relax a bit, but then, "I do know how much you're hurting, Harry.  Believe me, I do know."

The lump was back, worse than ever.  "No," he gasped into his hands.

"Harry, let it—"

"—No, Remus, I can't."  He couldn't stand the thought of falling apart in front of anyone, even Sirius' best friend.  "Don't, please!"

"Easy, all right, all right.  Just breathe.  We won't talk about it then.  Just so you know that we can at any time, if you need to."  Harry nodded, keeping his eyes squeezed shut.  "Well…" Remus patted his shoulder, "if you want me to leave you alone—"

Harry grabbed blindly for his hand.  He hoped Remus understood that he couldn't talk, but it was nice, him being there.  "Oh, all right then.  I'll stay.  What say you, Buckbeak?  Do you mind?"

Feathers brushed over Harry's back as Buckbeak extended his wings again.  So Harry stayed on Mrs. Black's old bed, tucked up against a hippogriff, with a werewolf holding his hand until he fell asleep.

*****

_To be continued…_

*****

**_Next time:_**_  Number 12, Grimmauld Place deals with the fallout from putting Percy in the know, and Percy struggles to come to terms with the truth and the memory of his own actions.  All reconciliations begin with a first step, but it takes courage to keep walking…the courage of a Gryffindor._


	4. Seeing Clearly

**Chapter Four:  Seeing Clearly**

_"Let us pardon reciprocally each other's folly, that is the first law of nature." ~ Voltaire_

Harry woke up to a warm hippogriff body next to him, and the sound of someone's slow, easy breathing nearby.  Rubbing his eyes, he turned and saw Mrs. Weasley sitting in a chair next to the bed.  As he moved, she opened her eyes and smiled.  "Good morning, Harry.  Remus was called away on an urgent matter, but he didn't want you left alone."

Harry sat up, surprised that he wasn't stiff from sleeping in a strange position, and asked, "It's not dangerous, is it?"

"Remus's errand?  Oh no, merely something he's better equipped than any of us to deal with.  We expect him back anytime now."  She patted Harry's shoulder as he sat up.  "Feel like some breakfast?  Buckbeak was kind enough to wait for his until you woke."

"Thanks, Buckbeak," said Harry.  On cue, his own stomach rumbled.  "I'll go wash up first."

"Right, then."  Mrs. Weasley led the way out of Buckbeak's room, muttering, "It's high time Ron and the rest of those slug-a-beds got up too."

An hour later, Harry was seated around the kitchen table with Hermione and all the younger Weasleys save Percy, enjoying a massive breakfast.  Tonks had popped in to give a report to Mr. Weasley, but she only had time to grab a few sausages before popping out again.  "Blimey, this place is a zoo today," said Ron, making himself a sandwich of bacon and eggs on toast.

"Where's Neville and Luna?"

"Moody and Kingsley took them home.  Luna and her dad are leaving on their trip to go snorkack-hunting soon, and he's more eager than ever to get her out of the country for a bit.  Neville's with his gran in hiding, but he may be visiting again," said Hermione

"The whole Ministry's in an uproar over the attack.  That idiot Fudge is going to have to explain how Death Eaters escaped from Azkaban and nearly managed to kidnap Harry right from the atrium," said Bill.

"I got away just fine!" Harry protested.

"Actually, Harry, maybe it'd be better if people thought they _did_ nearly get you.  Then maybe we'd be rid of Fudge," whispered Charlie.

Harry snickered, and then Remus walked into the room.  "Good morning, all."

"Where've you been?" Harry demanded.

"Sorry about that, Harry.  I can see better than most people in the dark, so the Aurors wanted my help surveying the tunnels.  No one can decide whether to repair them and use them as escapes again or to fill them in," said Remus.

"Ah, Remus—goodness, you're filthy!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley.  "Upstairs with you, and I'll make sure this lot doesn't eat all the breakfast."

"Yes, ma'am," said Remus and trotted up the stairs.

Mrs. Weasley smiled fondly after him, then turned to the table.  "Dear me, we're going to need more food.  Winky?"

The house elf popped into view.  "Mistress Wheezy is wanting Winky?"

Over Hermione's protests, Professor Dumbledore had decided after the death of Kreacher (having caused the death of Sirius proved too much for the unlamented Black house elf, and he'd punished himself by diving down the stairs) that Winky would become the official house elf of the Order.  She answered only to members or people who had been cleared by one, and so far the arrangement was working out well.  The Order had mollified Hermione by suggesting that she knit a little shift for Winky to wear, and so Winky went about in what looked like a fuzzy baby blanket in various shades of red and orange.  Hermione had used the colors of Fawkes' feathers.

It was obvious that Winky was happier this way, even Hermione had to admit, as the elf hopped over to the stove and began making large helpings of all the breakfast dishes to continue feeding a horde of busy Order members and their assorted children.  "Thank you very much, Winky," said Harry as she brought over a platter of fresh pancakes.

"Is Master Harry wanting anything else?" Winky asked, surveying the table with a critical eye to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything.

"No, thank you, Winky," said Hermione.  "You've outdone yourself."

Winky looked disappointed, so Mrs. Weasley said, "Actually, perhaps you could set aside a bit of everything for Percy when he comes down.  If we leave it all on the table, these greedy guts will eat every crumb."

Winky exclaimed in horror and ran for more dishes.  "None of Masters or Mistresses is going hungry while Winky is here!"  Even Ron grinned.

"Is Percy still asleep?" asked Harry, lowering his voice.

The rest of the Weasley children waited until Mrs. Weasley left to answer the door, then Fred leaned forward.  "He said he wanted to be alone after Dumbledore and the rest of us finally finished telling him everything."

"How'd he take it?" 

Ginny sighed, toying with her scrambled eggs. "I think he believed it.  Didn't like it, but he believed it."

Harry swallowed.  "Did he…did he believe the truth about Sirius?"

Ron nodded.  "That I'm sure of.  Mum started to cry about the arguments she used to have with him and how much he cared about you and—oh, bloody—Harry, I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, reaching vainly toward Harry as if to brush aside what he'd said.  Harry had turned a sickly shade of gray.

"Here," said Hermione, shoving a plate of hot buns toward him.  "Try these. Winky got the recipe from Hogwarts."

With a mouthful of sticky bun to distract him, Harry felt better.  "Has any of this changed his mind about Fudge?"

"Don't know, but don't see how it couldn't," said Charlie.  "But knowing Percy, I'm not placing any wagers."

"I think it did," said George. He and Fred looked at each other, then back at Harry.  "He wanted to be alone afterwards, so Mum got him his own room.  We listened with our Extendable Ears to see if he was talking to her, but she'd gone.  And he didn't sleep all night."

Ron froze with a bun halfway to his mouth.  "What?"

"You know how loud Perce snores.  But there wasn't a sound.  All night, except sometimes he'd get up and pace," added Fred, stirring his porridge absently.  "He's such a git sometimes, but…" he shook his head at them.  "And, of course, Mum's been crying on and off since yesterday, and even Dad cried after Percy told us Fudge sacked him."

"Bloody swine," muttered Bill.

"Why'd Fudge do it?  Percy didn't tell me," said Harry.

Ron shrugged, "He didn't tell us in so many words, but we do know Fudge said Percy's services were no longer needed two days after the _Daily Prophet_ reported Voldemort was back.  What none of us knew until Dad told us after Percy went to bed was that Fudge had offered _Dad_ a promotion the day after the story broke!"

"What?" Harry gasped.

Charlie nodded, scowling.  "Dad declined, of course, but he knew better than to antagonize Fudge, with Dumbledore still hoping the Ministry and the Order could work together against Voldemort.  So Dad gave Fudge a sweet little speech about how happy he was in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department and so forth, but that Fudge could be assured of Dad's best efforts for the good of the wizarding community against You-Know-Who, and, well, you get the idea."

"So…once Fudge decided your dad didn't merit spying on, he didn't need Percy anymore," Harry concluded, and groaned.  

"Wonder if Percy ever had a clue Fudge was using him," Ron mused.

"No," said Harry, so firmly that the others stared at him.  "We were lost in the tunnels for awhile, and we talked a bit.  Awkward conversation," he added with a grimace.  "I don't think he really knew Fudge.  All he saw was the office.  Someone in that high position _couldn't_ be a fool or self-serving.  He thought the same of Crouch, I'll bet."

"Sounds like Percy," muttered Fred.  "If you remember, he worshiped Dumbledore while he was in school.  Soon as he graduated and got to the Ministry, he thought he was above a mere teacher."

"Wonder how he feels now," murmured Hermione.

"Well," said Ginny, looking at each of them.  "Imagine how we'd feel if we found out Dumbledore really _had_ been out to get Fudge, and was just manipulating us to serve him."

"What?!"

"Ginny, really!"

"That's not even—"

Silence gradually descended.  "Bloody hell," muttered Ron.  "How much _do_ we really know?"

"Because we've been close to him," said Harry suddenly, and the others looked at him.  "And if not us, then our parents.  You can fool someone who only knows you from a distance, like Percy and his bosses, but not if they're close to you and see you outside the public eye."

"The rest of us haven't really been, but I suppose you have, Harry," said Hermione.

Harry nodded.  "When he stopped talking to me or looking at me or telling me what was going on last year, I wondered.  And I stopped trusting him.  Then I felt used.  It wasn't until he started explaining things again that I understood."  He scowled.  "Didn't like it, but I understood."

"So you think we'll win over Percy, then?  He's been closer to the Order in the last twelve hours than he's been to his Ministry bosses in two years," said Ginny.

"Let's hope so," said Ron grimly.

"Hear hear," said Bill, and they all spontaneously raised their juice glasses in a toast.

***

Percy didn't come down until almost noon.  He was very startled by the presence of Winky, and even more so when she seized him and steered him into the kitchen.  "Mister Percy Wheezy must  be hungry; Winky has saved breakfast for him.  Mistress Wheezy said Winky was not to be disturbing Mister Percy, so Winky hopes Mister Percy slept well.  Is Mister Percy wanting anything else?" she asked once the food was set out again."

"Er, no, thank you, Winky," said Percy.  Nibbling at the food, he watched Ron and Harry playing chess at the other end of the table, and the twins playing gobstones on the kitchen floor.  Hermione was reading, and Ginny was playing Exploding Snap with Bill and Charlie.

"I _said_ E-Three, you stupid piece of—don't argue with me!  Better you than the bishop!" Harry was yelling at one of his knights when Percy got up and left.  Everyone watched him silently as he headed up toward the drawing room, and then they all looked at each other.  "Fine, be that way," said Harry, knocking the knight off the board, and jumped up to follow the Weasleys upstairs.

Percy stood in the drawing room doorway for a moment, watching his parents talking with Remus Lupin, Moody, and Tonks about the clean-up at the Ministry, then he went back upstairs.  Mrs. Weasley saw him go and got up to follow him, and Mr. Weasley frowned and went after her.  Harry and the others looked on as Mr. Weasley caught her on the foot of the stairs, talking to her in a hushed voice.  She immediately began arguing, and they went back and forth for several minutes before Mrs. Weasley got agitated, and Mr. Weasley snapped, "Molly!" 

Ginny and Ron flinched next to Harry, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley noticed the onlookers.  They visibly calmed themselves and slipped back down the stairs and into the library.  Harry, Hermione, and the rest of the Weasleys retreated back to the kitchen.  After sitting around the table in silence for several minutes, Ginny said, "I'm glad he's back, but I'm still going to box his ears at the earliest opportunity."

"Amen to that," said Ron.  "I wish now I hadn't burnt that letter about Harry last year.  I'd make him eat it."

Harry grimaced.  "I think he already did."

"Pfft!  Good point."

A door opened upstairs, and Fred and George ran to the kitchen doorway, looking up.  "Mum and Dad are coming out of the library.  I think—wait, Dad's the one going upstairs.  Mum looks a little nervous, but she's going back to the drawing room."

Ron jumped up.  "Anyone else in the hall?"  Fred shook his head.  "Got some Extendable Ears handy?"  

"Quick, come on!" said George, charging up the stairs.  Ron, Ginny, Bill, and Charlie followed the twins.  

Hermione moved to go with them, but Harry caught her arm.  "We'll just stay here."

***

Grimmauld Place was quiet.  Most of the members of the Order were either away or asleep, since many of them had been up all night.  Harry challenged Hermione to a game of chess, but spent most of the time giving her strategy lessons on how to think ahead while playing. "You're good a this," she said when he pointed out to her that she'd left one of her castles vulnerable to his queen.

"Been playing with Ron for five years, I ought to be," said Harry.  "He's the real strategist.  That's why he's the new Quidditch captain.  I'll bet next year he gets Head Boy—"  

Hermione looked when Harry broke off.  "Harry?  What?"  She looked down at the board in confusion as Harry started to grin.  "What's so funny?"

He blinked at her.  "Oh.  Nothing."  At her dubious expression, he asked, "You remember the Mirror of Erised in our first year?"

"How could I forget?  I was always sorry I never got to look in it."

"Did Ron ever tell you what he saw?"  

She rolled her eyes.  "His deepest desire was to be Quidditch captain?!  Oh, honestly!"

"Well, there was more than that, and he'd probably kill me for telling you too much, but among other things, yes."  Harry shook his head.  "Funny, I haven't thought about that in a long time.  I wonder if we looked now would we see the same things?"

"What did you see again?" asked Hermione.  "I remember the Stone, but what was in it the time Voldemort wasn't there?"

"Didn't I tell you?  My family.  My parents and their parents, and other people who must have been cousins and aunts and uncles—not the Dursleys," Harry shook his head.  All at once, his heart gave a painful twist.  "I think it'd be the same, only…I would probably see…" he looked at the chess board.

Hermione reached out and patted his hand, then moved a knight between her castle and his queen.  "I don't really know what I'd see.  I think peace, if you could see such a thing.  No Voldemort.  All of us at Hogwarts with nothing to worry about but homework and exams and getting detention."

"Yeah, that's probably a lot of people's deepest desire," Harry sighed, watching his queen demolish her knight.  Hermione suddenly grinned at him.  "What?"

"Gotcha!"  Her castle took his queen.

"Oh, of all the—not fair!  I was distracted!"  They were both laughing when Ron, Ginny, Bill, Charlie, and the twins came back into the kitchen, putting away their Extendable Ears.  All of them were very quiet until Hermione evidently couldn't stand it.

"Well?" she blurted.  "Did he apologize?"

Ginny gave a choked laugh.  "I'll say he did."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, seeing their odd expressions.

"'Bout fifty times," said Ron, resting his chin on his palm.  "He told Dad he's sorry.  Over and over.  Said he misses us.  He said something about the Burrow too."

"I couldn't make it out, he was crying too hard by then," said Fred.

"Oh," sighed Hermione.

George nodded.  "Don't think I've heard Percy cry in three years."

"Four," said Ron.  "He cried when we got Ginny out of the Chamber of Secrets."   He shook his head.  "Wasn't like this, though."

"Of course not, what happened to Ginny wasn't his fault," snorted Fred.

Harry frowned.  "So you think—"  

"Shh!" Ginny exclaimed as a door opened upstairs.

They all waited as footsteps came down into the basement, then the kitchen door slowly opened to reveal Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, followed closely by Percy, all three with very red eyes.  "Children," said Mrs. Weasley hoarsely.  "Percy would like to talk to you."

Harry exchanged a glance with Hermione, and they both got up.  "Right then," said Hermione.  "We'll go on upstairs."

Ron looked at his siblings, then said, "Actually, I think Harry at least should stay, er, no offense, Hermione," he added hastily.

Hermione smiled.  "None taken.  Should I tell Bill and Charlie to come down?"

"Yes, please, Hermione dear," said Mrs. Weasley.  "Thank you."

Hermione grinned at them and hurried up the stairs.  A few moments later, the two remaining Weasleys came thumping down, with Charlie skidding to a halt in the doorway and Bill bumping into him.  "Percy?"

"I…wanted to talk to all of you," said their middle brother in a faint voice.

"Oh…um, all right then."

"Why don't we all sit down," suggested Mr. Weasley, and steered Percy toward the head of the table.  

Bill and Charlie came to join them, and Harry sat down at the other end with their parents.  Percy appeared to be fascinated by the backs of his hands of the tabletop, and Harry was startled by how much Percy resembled Ron without his glasses.  He'd always thought Ron looked most like Ginny.  Percy shifted, dared a glance up at his family, then quickly dropped his eyes again.  "I know I've been…I mean…you know what I…mm…" he bit his lip.  Then he took a deep breath and murmured, "I've been a real prat."

Ron began, "Yes, you have," but Mrs. Weasley said, "Be quiet, Ron.  Let Percy talk."

Percy's face was scarlet, and with his Weasley hair and his red eyes, he looked strange.  "I guess I've been blind.  I always thought I was…doing the right thing…working for the right…making things better, I mean—not just for other people, for us too…I didn't see—didn't _want_ to see," he amended it.  "When Harry—I mean, at the end of the Triwizard Tournament, it was all so…so strange and…when Minister Fudge told me what Dumbledore was saying, it all seemed so…horrific." He shot Harry a quick glance.  "It was just…he kept telling me it wasn't true, that there was nothing to fear, it was all just an accident, and everything seemed so…normal…like what Dumbledore and-and-Harry kept saying was all part of a book or another world."  Percy's fists were balled under his chin, so tight that his knuckles had gone white.  "The idea that another war…just…seemed so far away.

"And then he…when Dumbledore kept pushing it, the Minister starting saying Dumbledore wanted his job and I…it seemed easier to believe that.  I mean, that it was just one person stirring things up than a war.  Just…easier…safer.  And Harry…" he glanced at Harry again, turned even redder if that were possible, and looked down again.  "Well…ahem…you know what I thought, but I didn't mean—well, I did, but—it just came—wrong," Percy's voice faded to a whisper as he peered up at them without lifting his head.  "I was wrong.  I know now…wrong about everything, and I…I'm sorry," he choked out, his voice rising in pitch and cracking badly.  "I'm so sorry.  I wish I—but I can't, I'm just…so sorry!"

With that, Percy broke, and with a helpless sob, he buried his face in his arms and cried.  Harry didn't dare look at any of the others as Ginny slowly reached over to her brother and started stroking his hair.  

It was Fred who broke through Percy's tears with, "Oh, quit that, you bloody idiot, we forgive you."

Percy's head popped up, tears still on his face, eyes wide.  "What?"

George took the cue.  "He said we forgive you, of course.  Forgiven.  Apology accepted.  Pardoned.  Got over.  Aren't you the one who's supposed to be supplying the definitions?"

Percy just blinked at the twins, looking baffled.  Then, after a long moment, a slow, hesitant smile crossed his face.  Mrs. Weasley let out a helpless sob as both twins, with deafening battle cries, launched themselves from their chairs on top of their brother, knocking both chair and sibling straight to the ground, before Percy had time to do more than yelp.  Ginny shrieked with delight and threw herself on top of the three of them, and all Harry could see from the other side of the table were flailing limbs, though Percy's helpless gasps of laughter indicated he was being tickled to death.

"Gotta be reinitiated to the Weasleys, brother ours!"

"That's right, and this is only the beginning!"

"Move over, you hogs, let me at 'im!"

_Gasp!_  "Can't—" _wheeze!_ " —breathe!  _Hahahahahaha__!_"

Exchanging a grin, Bill and Charlie jumped up from their seats and strolled over to join the melee.  "Aaaah—hahahaha—eeaaaah—don't suppose you two could rescue me?  Hoohoo!"

"Nope.  Stand aside there, you lot, it's our turn," ordered Bill, as he and Charlie pounced on Percy.  Both Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were laughing and crying at the same time.

Fred abruptly looked up from the pile of Weasleys on the kitchen floor.  "Come on, Ron!"

Ron obediently started to get up, but suddenly froze.  "Oh. Wait."  Instead of joining the others, he started across the room.  

Ginny sat up and frowned at him, "What're you doing?"

"Wait!" Ron insisted, running to the foot of the stairs.  Everyone stared, and he looked at them.  "Well, go on, as you were!"

With a shrug, Fred extricated Percy's upper body from the struggling pile, and began knuckling his head fiercely, while Ginny pinched his nose and he yelled in protest through his laughter.  "What's the matter, Ron?" Harry asked, as Ron watched the chaos with a very odd expression, pulling out his wand.

Ron looked at Harry, and Harry stared back:  his friend's face was practically glowing.  "Nothing, mate.  Absolutely nothing!  _EXPECTO PATRONUM!_"

A burst of silver light erupted from Ron's wand, bringing the wrestling Weasley siblings to an immediate halt.  The brilliance sailed to the floor and coalesced into a small shape that began scampering about the room.  "Blimey!" Fred cried in delight.

There was a bang from upstairs, and Hermione, who had evidently heard the shouting, burst through the kitchen door just in time to see Ron's Patronus, a ferret, scurry by.  "Ron?"

Ron looked from her to Harry with a grin.  "So?  What do you think?"

Harry folded his arms and grinned back as Mrs. Weasley shrieked with laughter and the rest of the Weasleys applauded widely.  

"I think…his name is Malfoy."

*****

**_Next time:_**_  In the Epilogue, our heroes learn that everyone on the side of Right will have a role to play in the Second War, and it's up to each to use his own strengths and talents to the good guys' advantage.  A family is restored, and Percy finds his niche—and atones for past mistakes in a way Harry never dreamed._

**Don't forget to review!**


	5. Epilogue: Onward and Upward

**_Author's Notes:_  **_This is it, my first _Harry Potter_ story now complete!  I hope everyone has enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.  For someone who enjoys melodramatics as much as me, it is strange but nice to give an honest-to-goodness happy ending once in awhile.  Enjoy it, everyone, and please don't forget to review!  And wish me luck at finals!_

**Epilogue:  Onward and Upward**

_ "Use what talents you possess:  the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best."~ Henry Van Dyke_

During dinner that evening, Ginny said, "You _are_ going to quit working for the Ministry now, aren't you?"

After toying with his shepherd's pie for a moment, Percy said, "No."

Ron sighed loudly, "Oh, come on!  They're a bloody waste of skin!"

Mrs. Weasley started to scold him, but Percy held up a hand to her and narrowed his eyes at his brother.  "Don't say that, Ron.  You're wrong."

"You've admitted Fudge was barking last year—"

"He means there's more to the Ministry than just Fudge," Harry heard himself say.  

Ron looked startled.  Mr. Weasley nodded, "I've got no plans to stop working at the Ministry, Ron."

"Well, no, but…I mean, what Dad does…that's not _really_ like the Ministry."

Percy laughed.  "There's almost two thousand people working for the Ministry, and only one of them is Minister Fudge.  The mistakes of a few don't warrant giving up faith in all of them."

"A few of them also turned out to be Death Eaters," Ron said stubbornly.

"But not all," Hermione agreed.  "He has a point.  All those people Percy and Harry helped get out were barely older than us.  Just normal, working wizards caught in the crossfire."

Percy nodded.  "I worked with them for over a month after leaving the Minister's office.  They deserve people to have faith in them.  They work hard; we all do.  Besides," he shook his head, "I'd make a lousy Auror."

"You held your own against that Lestrange bitch," pointed out Hermione, causing Mrs. Weasley to gasp and exclaim, "Her_mion_e!"

"Yes, but my knees were shaking!"  This time they all laughed.  "No, face it, Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix may be a good idea, but I'm not suited to heroics."

"You'll find, Hermione, that a great many contributions to the war effort will be made in a great many ways, and not all through combat," said Professor Dumbledore, coming down into the kitchen.  "As it happens, Percy, I was speaking to Madam Bones at the Ministry this afternoon.  She is a bit distressed that the workload in Magical Law Enforcement has increased so swiftly with the start of the war.  I suggested that perhaps she should hire more assistants, but I fear young wizards' interest in the Ministry as a career has fallen off.  However, I do know she needs all the help she can get during these difficult times.  There will be a great variety of important work to be done for those who apply to her office."

Percy had frozen with a fork halfway to his mouth.  Mr. Weasley beamed.  "Good woman, Madam Bones.  Sensible.  Always been popular with the newcomers.  I interned for her the summer after my sixth year at Hogwarts—haven't left Magical Law Enforcement since."

"What do you think?" Charlie asked Percy.

Percy slowly put his fork down and smiled sheepishly at Professor Dumbledore.  "I think after dinner I shall adjourn upstairs to draft a letter of application."

***

_A few weeks later…_

"We're not going to see Fudge, are we?" Ron asked as he, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny followed Mr. Weasley from the visitors' entrance to the Ministry building.

"No, he's tied up all afternoon in a security briefing with the Aurors," said Mr. Weasley, grinning broadly.  "Someone in the war effort was kind enough to do a little schedule maneuvering."

Harry was keeping his head low behind Ron's back so no one would recognize him.  They were coming to have their wand weights recorded again, this time so that any magic they used wouldn't get them an owl for violating the Decree Against Underage Wizardry.  Someone at the Ministry had apparently been thinking sensibly for once, and a new measure had been passed that deemed "Persons at High Risk" exempt from the ban.  Of course, Harry and his friends had all wound up on the list.

"So where do we do this, the security desk?" Harry asked.

"No, Madam Bones's office," said Mr. Weasley.  They took the lift up to Level Two, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and this time went to one of the first doors in the corridor.  A brass plaque read, 

**Main Offices:  Department of Magical Law Enforcement**

**Office of Madam Amelia Bones, Head, Magical Law Enforcement, Suite 2-A**

**Office of Interdepartmental War Coordination, Suite 2-B**

**Wizengamot**** Administration Services, Suite 2-C**

**Improper Use of Magic Office, Suite 2-D**

**Auror**** Headquarters, 2-E**

"Hmm, they've been moving things around a bit," said Mr. Weasley.  "I knew she planned to give the Aurors a larger office, but Interdepartmental War Coordination's brand new, and they've moved Wizengamot Administration Services over two sections.  This way, everyone."  He led them through the door.

The section they entered was much quieter than the loud, bustling area full of cubicles where Harry knew Mr. Weasley worked.  Most of the doors were half-closed, and although voices could be heard and paper airplane memos still zipped about, it far less chaotic.  Harry didn't know whether to be more relaxed or more tense because of it.  

Mr. Weasley rapped politely on the first closed door, upon which another brass sign read, **Madam Amelia Bones.**  "Come in," said a deep voice that made Harry tense slightly in memory.  He'd heard it almost exactly a year ago, at his hearing.  Mr. Weasley opened the door to reveal the most spacious and neat office Harry had seen at the Ministry yet, and a broad but rather short witch sitting behind a large desk.  "Ah, Arthur, right on time.  Mr. Potter, young Mr. and Miss Weasley, and Miss Granger, all here?  Good.  Please, be seated, I'm afraid Madam Hopkirk hasn't managed to join us yet."  With a frown, she tapped a small buzzer on her desk, and Harry heard it go off in an office adjoining Madam Bones'.

The door of the smaller office opened at once, and familiar red head wearing horn-rimmed glasses popped out.  "Yes, ma'am?"

"Weasley, kindly run and tell Madam Hopkirk we need her as witness for the exemptions, if you please," Madam Bones said to Percy, who immediately headed for the door.  He nodded quickly at his father while Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and Harry just stared.  Apparently, Madam Bones noticed, "What, children, didn't your brother tell you he was my Undersecretary?"

"Ahem," said Ginny.  "He, ah, mentioned that he was on your staff, ma'am, but we didn't know…"

Madam Bones eyed the two younger Weasleys through her monocle and chuckled.  It sounded rather motherly.  "Held out on you, did he?  I'm afraid my Department's been hit rather hard recently.  Junior Undersecretary nearly lost her brother in an attack two days ago and went on leave, and Senior Undersecretary turned in his notice and ran off to America last week.  Population's nervous about working in Law Enforcement these days, aren't many as dedicated as your brother, there.  Inexperienced, but hasn't quit.  And heaven knows I've had to dump a load of work on him; lad keeps my schedule, 'bout half my correspondence, and until we can get more staff, he's practically running the Interdepartmental War Coordination Office.  You should be proud of him, Arthur."

"I am," said Mr. Weasley softly.  He sat down on the long, brown leather couch next to Harry and the others.  A Ministry elf had just brought them all glasses of water when Percy returned with Mafalda Hopkirk and a tall, skinny wizard Harry didn't recognize.

"At last, Mafalda and—oh, Mr. Henderson too.  Excellent, Weasley, you remembered.  Ladies and gentlemen, this is Mr. Richard Henderson, he'll be weighing your wands.  Now we're ready.  Got the registry, Mafalda?  Right.  Mr. Potter, you first, if you please."

Harry handed his wand to Mr. Henderson, who towered over everyone in the room, but was so thin and spindly that in his green robes he resembled a string bean.  He carried the wand scale Harry remembered from the security desk, and placed Harry's wand upon it.  The strip of paper came off, listing Harry's wand as eleven inches, phoenix-feather core, in use for five years, and that went to Madam Hopkirk to be placed in a thick book she carried.  "Sign here, please, Mr. Potter."  Harry signed his name next to his wand slip.

"Very well, Mr. Potter," said Madam Bones, standing up.  "Now all that remains, is that you give your word before these witnesses that you will not use magic for any reason but self defense.  You have been entrusted with this exemption due to extraordinary circumstances, and the Ministry expects that you will not abuse it.  Do you understand?"

"Yes," said Harry, feeling a little breathless.  Madam Bones smiled and shook his hand, and he noticed for the first time that he was taller than she was.  Then he sat down and watched Hermione, Ginny, and Ron all going through the same process.  

Behind the desk, Percy was scribbling on a parchment while Madam Bones gave instructions regarding a pile of memos he'd just handed her.  "Sorted through these, good, good.  I'd half-expected Cornelius to turn up today, where is he?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I scheduled the interdepartmental security briefings with him all afternoon," said Percy.  "Did you especially need him for this?"

"No, it'll keep.  He's still nagging to give Potter and this lot their awards, did you have any luck talking him out of it?"

Not entirely, but that second list is all the public ceremonies being postponed for the duration of the war," said Percy, sliding another memo in front of her.  "For security reasons, the Aurors agreed."

"Ah, excellent," muttered Madam Bones, rifling through the papers again.  "What's this?  Why wasn't the exoneration of Sirius Black put on the hold list?"

All other activity in the room ceased.  Mr. Weasley, who had been chatting with Madam Hopkirk, broke off and gaped.  Ginny froze where she had been signing her name on the registry.  Harry sat stiffly on the couch.  Madam Bones and Percy glanced at them all, then Percy blushed and murmured, "That's not really a public ceremony.  Just a few reporters in Mr. Fudge's office to hear his statement that Mr. Black has been cleared of the charges and explaining Peter Pettigrew's involvement.  Given its, er, connection to the current war, and the, ah, interests of justice and all, I thought—I mean those of us in War Coordination thought it should go on.  It's scheduled for tomorrow."

"Hmm," Madam Bones furrowed her brow as she looked over at Harry through her monocle.  "Your Headmaster and my Undersecretary have been rather persistent about this, Mr. Potter.  They've led me to understand Sirius Black was your godfather?"

Unable to speak, Harry nodded, looking at his knees.  "Very well," said Madam Bones' voice.  "In that case, Mr. Weasley, see to it Mr. Potter receives a certified copy of the document clearing Mr. Black's name as soon as it's signed by the Minister."

"Yes, ma'am," said Percy, and Harry heard his robes rustle as he headed for his office.

Harry looked up and swallowed hard.  They'd cleared Sirius.  They were going to tell the _Daily Prophet_ and give it to Harry in writing.  "Thanks," he said softly.  Madam Bones nodded, and as he glanced back at Harry from the doorway of his office, Percy winked.

~Fin~

**_Author's Dedication/Soapbox:  _**_I get the distinct impression from the _Harry Potter_ books that The Great Ms. Rowling doesn't think very highly of government.  One can't really blame her, I suppose, but I have to say that she, like so many others, labors under the false impression that government is made up of people like Cornelius Fudge.  But let me say that (speaking as a gal who has been in Percy's shoes…sort of) all of you who think government is slimy business and that " politics" means "many bloodsucking insects" are dead wrong.  _

_ This story is dedicated to all the "General Staff" out there who work on the US Capitol Hill or the British Parliament or any of the other government offices of the world.  For a patriotic young person serving one's country, the reality is long hours, low pay, and a LOT of grief from people who think government is eeeevil!  But it's not.  It's made up primarily of young, dedicated people like you and me (and the Percy in this story.)  I can't speak for the British, but in an American government office (like a Congressperson's or Senator's) there are literally at least a dozen staffers for every elected official—usually more.  And it can be very rewarding, with lifetime friendships among your fellow staffers, wonderful mentors (I've been serving government on and off for almost three years, and I've met far more Arthur Weasleys than Cornelius Fudges, although both exist), and a real appreciation for all the GOOD that can be done when you choose to do the people's business.  So hold your heads up, all of you, and don't let anyone tell you government isn't a job worth doing!_


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